


i like me better (when i’m with you)

by love_again



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Breakups, Crushes, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Johnny falls in love instantly, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Mark Lee Are Best Friends, Lee Taeyong & Suh Youngho | Johnny Are Best Friends, Love Confessions, M/M, Mark Lee (NCT) is Whipped, Slow Burn, johnny overthinks a lot, mark is a bit clumsy, mark lee x johnny suh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:29:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25741357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/love_again/pseuds/love_again
Summary: when you're in love with someone, it's like nothing can ever bring you down. and the feeling amplifies when the love is mutual.johnny felt like he was on top of the world every day, like nothing could bring him down and stop him. he was in love with his boyfriend like this for three years before their breakup. his boyfriend showed no remorse, simply leaving him nothing but the dog and a broken heart.the days after the breakup were the most difficult. he shut everyone out and kept to himself. this eventually carried on for months, and johnny wasn't sure if he would ever go back to feeling normal.he had been so in love, and for three years he was lied to by someone he trusted the most.the summer in which he moved to new york was when he realized that it was time for him to move on and start fresh.and maybe the cute boy from next door with the bright smile could help him do just that.
Relationships: Johnny Suh Mark Lee - Relationship, Johnny seo mark lee, Mark Lee/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Suh youngho Mark lee
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	i like me better (when i’m with you)

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first ever fic on ao3! so i’m still getting used to this website please bare with me :-: i hope you enjoy reading this!

Johnny had been living in New York for a couple of weeks now, and was still adjusting to life in the city. Picking an apartment in Manhattan seemed like a good idea at the time, not too far driving distance from the coffee shop he works at and not too far walking distance from the popular deli across the street. 

Before moving to New York, Johnny had lived in two places: a quiet suburb in Chicago, and a quiet neighborhood in Busan. Back home in his quiet suburb, the most noise you’d get at once was a bicycle horn honking from children riding around, and the occasional ice cream truck. Busan was quite the same. 

There was never any constant honking like New York. The constant shouting and steering wheel beeping from angry drivers and the loud talking from pedestrians kept him up most of the time. It was something he was going to have to learn to live with, because he certainly wasn’t going back to Korea anytime soon, not after his ex boyfriend broke up with him suddenly and moved out, which was something Johnny blamed himself for for a very long time. 

And he wasn’t going back to Chicago and end up moving back in with his parents, he needed to show them that he could manage to live on his own without needing their constant guidance. 

But he’s seriously missing his mother’s jajangmyeon right now. 

He was feeling too lazy to cook some himself, so he googled the nearest Korean restaurant, grabbed his wallet and was on his way. 

He locked his front door behind him and was ready to exit his apartment building when he saw his seemingly new next door neighbor drop two boxes on the floor and then trip. 

Johnny rushed over to the boy and picked up one of his boxes. “Are you okay?” The boy stood up, brushed himself off, and then looked at Johnny slowly. 

As soon as they made eye contact, it took everything within Johnny to not collapse right then and there. The boy had large brown eyes and pretty brown hair. Johnny swore he saw sparkles in his eyes. 

They stared at each other for another minute before the other boy spoke up. “I... think I’m better now. These boxes were incredibly heavy. I’m lucky there’s an elevator.” He chuckled. Johnny wasn’t paying attention to what he said, he was busy getting lost in the other boy’s eyes. 

“I‘m Mark, by the way. I just moved here from Canada” Mark said as he unlocked his apartment door. He placed the box down quickly and whispered a “thank you” to Johnny as he took the box he was holding and placed it on top of the other. 

“I’m Johnny..” he trailed off. It took him less than a minute to regain his composure. 

“I just moved here from Korea. But before that, Chicago.” Mark smiled at Johnny and closed his apartment door. “I’m assuming you’re Korean too? I haven’t been in so long, I miss that place!”

How ironic, Mark wanted to go back to the place Johnny was running away from. 

“I’m Korean too! But I had to move, I desperately needed a change of scenery. I think I get bored too easily.” 

“Or was it everyone else getting bored of me?” He thought to himself. 

“Sorry, I don’t mean to bore you. I should let you get settled in.” Mark shook his head. “Actually, until tomorrow that’s everything.. so I’m done moving boxes for today!” Mark seemed so happy at his sudden realization. He cheered to himself and Johnny’s heart did a flip. 

“If you’re not busy, do you want to go get food with me?” Johnny spoke before he could think. He spoke before his mind could talk him out of doing something sudden and irrational. 

His mind was full of “He thinks I’m weird” and “There goes my good first impression!” thoughts. He was going through every worst case scenario in his head before Mark spoke up. 

“I’m starving right now, so definitely!” 

Johnny almost fainted.


End file.
